Can I Borrow That?
by Sonata Ann
Summary: AU One-shot They met in a laundromat as strangers. He's new in town and she's been a local resident. When they left, they turned into acquaintances or maybe more than that.


**Ahh-ah-ah-ahem, in honor of my birthday, which just ended a couple of minutes ago, here's my gift from me to you guys. Enjoy!**

Sixteen-year-old Kurosaki Karin was walking down the sidewalk in the sweltering summer heat, heading towards a local laundromat. She carried with her a basket filled with dirty clothes complied of everything soiled that belonged to her family.

Karin huffed with a thought of this chore ruining the plans that she had planned, and instead, got stuck doing the laundry. What's worse is that the washing machine and dryer at home had broken down, so she had no choice but to go to the laundromat. To make things even worse, her father had to go to a nearby hospital that very morning, taking the car with him, making Karin lug the basket filled with laundry with her.

Also, Yuzu had some school club activities that were mandatory for her to attend to, and Ichigo was stuck cramming to for a test that he had the next day so she had to do it by herself. It just couldn't be helped that she got stuck doing the laundry, even if she had to go walk all the way to the laundromat.

Soon enough, Karin pushed the doors open and entered. She then glanced around the room until she saw an empty area for her to work. Karin then strode across the room, listening to the buzzing of the machines as she went by.

Once she reached her destination, Karin haggardly dropped the basket on a nearby bench and wiped her brow, taking a seat on the bench herself. She leaned back, gripping the edge of the bench behind her to keep her from falling.

"Why is it so damn hot," Karin muttered, as she shot her eyes close. She threw her head back, sweeping her hair behind her to let the air vent blast cold air against her neck.

Karin remained like that for a couple of minutes, listening to the sounds around her of people opening and closing the doors of the machines, tossing their clothes in them and taking them out, people entering and leaving. She heard the sounds of people's sighs of relief upon entering the building and their complaints when they had to leave. Karin also heard the sound of someone placing their things where she was at, but she paid no mind to them.

Soon enough, Karin began to grow thirsty. She opened her eyes, glancing around the building for a vending machine. Once she spotted one at the back corner, she reached into the pocket of her shorts for change, but found that her phone was the only thing there. Karin then reached into her other pocket, but found it to be empty. She growled in frustration before shutting her eyes shut again, her mouth going dry from thirst.

"Here"

Karin opened her eyes once more, only to see a hand offering her a couple of change. She raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the owner of that hand to see a young boy around her age with shocking white hair and teal eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of him before glancing back down to his offering. She stared at the coins for a moment until he shook his hand, making the coins jingle.

She looked back up at him one more time before taking the coins from his hand.

"Thank you," Karin told him as she stood up. She watched him nod his head towards her before going back to his laundry, placing his clothes into the wash.

Without a second thought, she turned around, walking towards the vending machine. Karin then inserted her given change into the coin slot and pressed the button for water. Once she heard it tumbling out, Karin reached for it, popped it open, and happily took a big gulp of fresh, cold water.

"Ah, that tastes good," she sighed as she closed the bottle.

Feeling refreshed, Karin walked back over to her laundry, going past the white-haired boy as she went, who was now reading a book as he sat on the bench waiting for his laundry.

Karin then placed her bottle of water on the bench and began to put her laundry into the washing machine. Once the basket was empty, it was then Karin realized that she never brought the detergent and softener with her.

She huffed onto the bench, mumbling sarcastically, "Great! This is absolutely perfect."

Karin shook her head, needing to get the job done so she stood up and scanned the room, looking to see if there was some sort of vending for items for washing clothes.

When she didn't find any, Karin rolled her eyes, crossing her arms together. That was when she noticed that her white-haired neighbor had detergent and softener with him. She felt a bit guilty for having to ask him for that sort, but she didn't want to stay there any longer. In the end, Karin asked him.

"Hey," Karin called to him, but he ignored her so she called him a couple more times.

"Hey! Hello," she yelled. "Hey, Shorty!"

At this, Karin was able to get his attention. He looked up at her with an annoyed looked from either disturbing him from reading or calling him by that term, which Karin neither knows nor cares.

"Can I have some of your detergent and softener," Karin asked, ignoring the fact that she insulted him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You insulted me after I gave you money for something to drink to borrow my detergent and softener? I don't think so."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't have needed to insult you if you had responded when I was calling," she told him matter-of-factly.

"You could have been calling at anybody," he stated before going back to his book.

"Hey, now," Karin exclaimed, and she took the book from his hands, dropping it into her basket.

"Excuse me," the boy retaliated, now standing up. He was now looming over her, even if it was by two inches or so.

She ignored him by speaking instead. "I just want to borrow your detergent and softener."

The boy sighed, crossing his arms in irritation. "If I let you borrow them, will you leave me alone?" He saw Karin nod her head to which he sighed again and then gave her those items.

"Thank you," Karin said, grinning at him, before spinning around to return to her laundry.

Soon, Karin set to work, measuring and pouring them into the wash. Once she finished, Karin closed the washing machine door and sat down on the bench to wait for it to finish.

To keep herself from being bored, she pulled out a hacky sack from her pocket. Karin then tossed it in the air and kept it in the air to keep it from falling. In her head, she began to count the amount of times she kicked it without the sack from touching the ground as she began to stand.

As Karin continued this, she watched from the corner of her eye when the boy got up from his seat to move his clothes to a dryer, which was across from the washing machines. While he did this, Karin was able to smell the scent that was coming off of his clothes. This is when she realized that her laundry would smell like his as well.

Karin blushed at the thought of wearing her clothes with the scent of another's, causing her to lose her focus on the hacky sack. She sighed, picking up the hacky sack and stuffing it in her pocket rather than kicking it again, and then sat back down on the bench.

"You were doing so well," Karin heard him speak. She glanced over at him to see him closing the dryer door shut before turning around to look at her.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Well it's not my fault for getting distracted, Shorty," Karin responded, insulting him on purpose.

Karin heard him growl, to which she smiled innocently at him, before he told her, "My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro, not Shorty, and I would just like to point out that I'm taller than you."

She rolled her eyes at him and then said, "Well then, Toushiro, you're still short compared to the average height of a guy."

Toushiro shook his head, not wanting to talk about his height any longer, so he asked her, "What's your name?"

"Huh?" She looked at him, startled at the sudden question she was given.

"Well, I gave you my name," Toushiro reasoned. "What's yours?"

Karin nodded her head at this in understanding and then told him.

"Kurosaki Karin," and then she smiled at him.

She then turned around when she noticed that the sound of the washing machine stopped. Karin moved her things to a dryer, moving back and forth between the wash and the dryer. While she did this, Karin asked, "So how come I've never seen you around before?"

Karin looked up when she finished, finding that he had been watching her. She cocked her head to the side with curiosity etching onto her face while holding back a blush.

"Well," Toushiro began. "I just moved here."

She nodded her head. "Then I can show you around some time."

At this, Toushiro shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he responded as he started to take out his clothes from the dryer.

Once he finished, Toushiro glanced at a clock hanging on the wall, causing him to sigh at the sight of the time. He reached into his pockets, but found them empty. Toushiro sighed again, mentally slapping himself for his forgetfulness.

Karin noticed this, so she asked, "What's the matter?"

Toushiro shook his head. "I seemed to have forgotten to bring my cell phone with me." He then threw his head back, sighing once again.

"Ah, well I have mine with me," Karin told him, but she waited for him to ask for it instead of offering it to him, which he noticed.

He raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Can I borrow that," he asked her.

Karin chuckled. "Yes, you can," and she handed her phone over to him.

Karin watched as he punched in what she assumed to be his home phone number, but then looked away when he began to talk to the person on the other end of the line, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. Instead, she listened to the sound of the dryer humming as it dried the laundry.

Soon her laundry finished, so Karin moved towards the dryer and began to transfer the clothes into the basket when Toushiro ended the conversation by yelling into the phone, "I'll see you at home!"

Karin laughed at him as Toushiro breathed heavily from anger.

"What was that," she questioned.

Toushiro growled at that slightest mention of his anger, but told her anyways. "That was my step-sister, Matsumoto Rangiku. Lazy, bubbly, irritating." He then sighed. "But she's been there for the both of us." Toushiro then showed a small smile as if he was looking back in the past, to which Karin returned that smile with one of her own.

Not wanting to intrude anymore of his personal life, Karin said, "Well, I have to be going now. I've had enough waiting here." She picked up her basket and told Toushiro, "I'll see you around, Toushiro."

He nodded in return. "Yeah, I'll see you later," getting up as he said this.

They both readied themselves for the heat once they stepped outside the laundromat, but found that the heat had turned into a cool, soft breeze. At this sudden change of weather, they both looked up at the sky. Karin grinned, feeling relief that she won't be walking in that sweltering heat.

"Well," Toushiro started, causing Karin to look back at him. "I'll see you later."

Karin grinned. "Of course," she answered. "See you, Toushiro," and they walked their separate ways.

:(:):(:):(:):

"Karin-chan!"

Karin walked towards hers and Yuzu's shared room to find Yuzu staring at an object that she found at the bottom of the laundry basket.

"What is it," Karin asked.

She watched as Yuzu pulled out the object and showed it to her. It was then that Karin recognized it as the book Toushiro had been reading before she took it from him.

"Oh," Karin walked over to Yuzu, taking the book from her. "It's a friend of mines."

Before Yuzu was able to respond to this, the home phone rang. Karin ran down the stairs and picked up the portable phone. When she saw the caller i.d., it said

_Kurosaki Karin_

Karin laughed as she pressed the talk button.

"I forgot to give you your phone back," came the sound of Toushiro's voice, hearing a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I forgot to give you your book back," Karin responded.

"I guess you'll be giving me that tour around town then," Toushiro chuckled.

"I guess there's no choice," she said jokingly. "Tomorrow? Laundromat? Same time?"

He laughed this time. "Tomorrow. Laundromat. Same time," Toushiro said in confirmation.

It was then Karin heard in the background, "Oh, Toushiro! You have a date already?"

Karin heard him growl. "Matsumoto, get out!"

She laughed at this until she heard a voice she recognized on another line of the phone. "Oh, Karin-chan. I didn't know you were dating."

Karin gasped. "Yuzu?"

Then she heard Toushiro say angrily, "I've got to go."

She sighed in irritation. "Same here," and she ended the call, but not before she heard him chuckle.

Karin smiled at the thought of meeting with him again, until she remembered her sister eavesdropping.

"Yuzu," she yelled as Karin marched up stairs.


End file.
